


now you know me (and i'm not afraid)

by Fives (janfives90)



Series: Starchart AU [1]
Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Space AU, treasure au, warnings: guns; knives
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:27:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 14,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22680208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/janfives90/pseuds/Fives
Summary: Whatever she was expecting for the owner of J.B. Transportation, it wasn’t this.The office is a bit messy, but mostly just in a cluttered way. There’s a stack of books disorganized on a shelving unit to the right, and a quick glance through the spines shows them as being primarily on music, writing, astronomy, and mechanics. A desk is at the back of the room, somewhere underneath a huge stack of papers, and seated behind it is Emma Nolan herself, her boots up on the edge, her chair tilted back, and half of a sandwich in her hands.
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Series: Starchart AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815700
Comments: 10
Kudos: 60





	1. Part One

Alyssa Greene flinches as the loud warehouse door clatters shut behind her.

“If you’re looking for Nolan,” the man who let her in says, pointing towards a small office door on the other side of the space, “she’ll be in there.”

“Thank you, Mr. Glickman,” Alyssa replies.

He scoffs. “You’re welcome, I suppose.” As he walks away, she hears him mutter, “Don’t know what a girl like you wants with Em, but that’s none of my business.”

Alyssa tightens her grip on her bag and walks to the other side of the warehouse, avoiding the pallets of cargo and busy workers. She adjusts her bag again and clears her throat before lifting her hand and knocking loudly on the office door.

_ “What do you want?” _ a voice on the other side of the door yells.

With a small sigh, Alyssa just knocks again.

_ “Ugh, fine, whatever, come in.” _

She turns the handle and steps inside the office.

Whatever she was expecting for the owner of J.B. Transportation, it wasn’t this.

The office is a bit messy, but mostly just in a cluttered way. There’s a stack of books disorganized on a shelving unit to the right, and a quick glance through the spines shows them as being primarily on music, writing, astronomy, and mechanics. A desk is at the back of the room, somewhere underneath a huge stack of papers, and seated behind it is Emma Nolan herself, her boots up on the edge, her chair tilted back, and half of a sandwich in her hands.

Emma looks up and stares when she sees Alyssa, then pushes back a bit too far and flips her chair over.

“Oh, God, are you okay?” Alyssa asks, shutting the door behind her and taking a few more steps into the room.

“Yeah. Yep. I’m good,” Emma groans, pulling herself to her feet. “Only lost my sandwich. And some dignity.”

“I hope you’re better at driving than you are at… sitting?” Alyssa jokes awkwardly.

Emma brushes dust off of her jeans. “I like to think I am.” She winks. “I like to think I’m good at a lot of things, miss.”

Alyssa smirks. “I’m not sure you can pull off the cocky flirt after I just saw you do  _ that.” _

“I’m pretty sure I can, but to each their own.” Emma strides out from behind her desk, far more confidently than she has any right to be in this moment, and holds out her hand. “Emma Nolan, best transporter around. You need something taken anywhere else in the galaxy, I’m the person you call.”

Alyssa avoids shaking Emma’s hand, stepping in and standing next to her. “What about  _ outside _ the galaxy?”

Emma blinks, clearly thrown, and turns so that she’s shoulder-to-shoulder with Alyssa. “I don’t typically go there, but that doesn’t mean I  _ can’t. _ Why? What exactly are you trying to move?”

“It’s not about what I’m trying to transport. It’s about where I want to go. How well can you read a starchart?”

“I’ve been able to since I was four. Ask a tougher question.”

Alyssa gives her a hard look. “I want honesty, Captain Nolan, not bravado.”

Emma shrugs. “And I’m giving you honesty. My grandpa taught me how to read a starchart before he taught me how to read. My grandmother wasn’t very happy about it, but it’s come in handy.”

“Okay then.” Alyssa’s jaw tightens. “I offer you five million gold - paid  _ after _ the job, so you don’t rip me off - for the full job and complete secrecy. And you have to be the only person involved.”

_ “Five mil- _ Holy hell, what kind of job is this? Are you on the run from the police?”

“Not exactly.”

“What the hell does  _ that _ mean?”

“Captain,” Alyssa says tersely. “Do you want the job or not?”

“Can I at least know where I’m supposed to be going or what I’m supposed to be taking before I say yes?”

“No.”

Emma looks at her for a long moment before walking back behind her desk, running a hand through her hair and giving a heavy sigh. “Alright,” she says finally. “I’m in. What’s this job, Ms...?”

“Greene. Alyssa Greene.” Alyssa takes a long tube out of her bag and hands it over to Emma. “Be careful with that. The starchart is old.”

“I’ll say,” Emma says as she carefully slides the parchment out of the cannister. “Jesus, this has to be… what, Twelfth Era?”

“Thirteenth.” Alyssa raises an eyebrow. “You know artifacts?”

“I’ve seen my fair share. I put effort into knowing what I’m transporting, so that I don’t run into any surprises.” As Emma unravels the starchart on her desk, she glances up at Alyssa. “Which brings us to the next part of this job. What exactly is it that you need me to take to a spot on this mysterious old map?”

Alyssa swallows and takes in a breath before saying, “Me.”

* * *

As Emma loads a few crates of supplies into the back of her starship, she points down the docking pad at a small sandwich shop. “If you’re not going to pay me anything ahead of time, you can at least pay me back for the sandwich you cost me.”

_ “I _ cost you?” Alyssa scoffs. “You’re the one who’s too gay to sit in a chair.”

Emma squints at her. “I resent that.”

“I’m sure you do.” Alyssa rolls her eyes and searches through her pocket for some silver. “What do you want?”

“Reuben. Rye bread. Corned beef. A real one with sauerkraut, not that bullshit people sometimes order accidentally with coleslaw.”

“Pastrami on wheat with extra coleslaw, got it.”

“You’re going to be a pain in the ass, aren’t you?”

Alyssa sarcastically blows a kiss at her. “Probably.”

Emma shakes her head and goes back to what she’s doing as Alyssa heads down to the little shop.

* * *

She’s been alone for only about ten minutes when she hears a voice behind her say, “Where’s Greene?”

Emma sighs softly and turns around, her expression tensing only when she sees two large men with guns holstered at their sides, one in a black suit, one in a gray suit. “I’m sorry. Who?”

“Alyssa Greene. We’ve been tracking her, and the last we saw her, she was leaving your warehouse. Where is she?”

“Hell if I know. The girl’s a menace.”

The men exchange a glance, then Black Suit draws his gun and aims it right at Emma’s head. “You get one more chance. Where is Alyssa Greene? Where is the starchart?”

“Jesus, dude,” Emma yelps, taking a few steps back until she bumps into her ship. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

She’s had guns pointed at her face before, and she’s had ultimatums before.

In her experience, there’s always the slightest hesitation before the trigger gets pulled.

She times it just right.

Emma drops down to the side just before Black Suit fires, and she flinches as the bullet shatters against the hard exterior of her starship. She pulls her own gun off of her belt and fires towards the ground at the feet of the men, making them back up enough that she can jump into the ship and get the bigger loading door closed.

“Shit,” she mutters as she glances out one of the windows and sees Alyssa, stuck with the men between her and the safety of the ship.

Emma runs to the cockpit and gets the engines out of idle, pulling the starship away from the dock and spinning it around, resting the nose almost against one of the other landing pads as the ship hovers. She hits the button to open the smaller side hatch, and she sees Alyssa give her an incredulous look before jumping across the thin gap into it.

Emma closes the hatch, then lifts her ship up, flinching when more bullets scatter across the metal. “Hold onto something,” she shouts over her shoulder.

_ “What did you say?” _

Alyssa’s words dissolve into cursing as Emma guns the ship upward, straightening it before heading up and out of the atmosphere.

* * *

Once they’re on an autopilot course towards a waypoint, Emma heads to the back of the ship, where Alyssa is on the floor, trying to reorganize her belongings.

“That sucked,” Alyssa mutters.

“Tell me about it. I’m the one who got shot.”

Alyssa looks up sharply. “What?”

“Just a ricochet,” Emma says, waving her off as she stands. “The bullet they tried to put in my head shattered on my ship." She rubs the back of her neck and shows off the blood that appears on her fingers. “I didn’t want to stop to bandage it until we had slowed down.”

“You’re an idiot. Sit down.”

Emma grumbles under her breath as she sits down and Alyssa grabs the first aid kit off the wall, getting to work on the gash just below her hairline on her neck.

“What did those people want?” Alyssa asks, almost hesitant.

“Why don’t you tell me, Ms. Greene? They were looking for you and your starchart.” Emma tries to turn to look at Alyssa, growling in irritation as Alyssa flicks the back of her ear and forces her to keep looking forward. “You’re not taking something to the end of that map, and you’re not just in the mood for a bizarre vacation. You’re looking for something  _ at _ the end of that map. Aren’t you?”

Alyssa takes in a long, slow breath, pressing gauze a bit too hard against Emma’s skin. “Yes. I am.”

“What the hell is worth all this?”

“That starchart isn’t just a starchart, Captain Nolan. It’s a treasure map.” Alyssa pauses as the words sink in. “That starchart leads to five hundred  _ billion _ gold.”

Emma is silent for a long, long moment.

“Ms. Greene, you are  _ severely _ underpaying me.”


	2. Part Two

Emma paces in the ship, hands on her hips, thinking. “Who were those men, Ms. Greene?”

“They’re not important,” Alyssa says dismissively.

“They seem pretty damn important.”

“It’s not your concern.”

Emma stops, giving her an incredulous look. “They were following you. You, who is currently with me. That’s a pretty big concern.”

Alyssa shakes her head, avoiding Emma’s gaze. “As long as we don’t go back to Eire,” she lowers her voice to a mumble, “or to Aquai,” she puts her voice back to full volume, “we should be fine.”

“Excuse me, what did you do on Aquai?”

“Nothing.” Alyssa clears her throat. “Nothing at all.”

Emma gives a dry laugh and sits down at the small table across from Alyssa. She pulls a battered deck of cards out of the pocket of her jacket and starts shuffling them. “Do you know how to play eights, Ms. Greene?”

“I think so,” Alyssa says hesitantly.

“Good. We can play.” Emma starts dealing. “We’ll get to the first waypoint towards the edge of the galaxy in about an hour.”

“Oka-”

“You have that long to explain what’s going on, and if you don’t, that’s the end of the line for me on this escapade of yours.”

Alyssa blinks. “Excuse me?”

“I like money, Ms. Greene, but I like my head a bit more. I’m not a pirate. So you can either tell me what the fuck kind of business you’re getting me into, or you can catch a ferry home. Understand?”

“If I go home, I’ll be killed.”

Emma shrugs. “Guess you have a busy hour then, huh?”

Alyssa bites her lip, staring across the table. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. I came to you because I wanted the best driver I could find. Someone who wouldn’t back down from a challenge. Challenging me shouldn’t come as a shock.”

“Flattery won’t get you out of this, Ms. Greene.”

“Believe me. I know that.” Alyssa picks up her cards with trembling fingers. “Can I… Can I have a drink? Please? This will be easier.”

Emma sighs and stands, pulling a bottle of liquor and two glasses out of a cabinet. As she pours, she says, “Are you from Aquai?”

“Yes. I live there with my mother.” Alyssa accepts the glass and takes a long drink from it. “I was working as a historian for a military contractor when I… had to leave.”

“Mil… Oh, you have to be kidding me.” Emma rubs at her eyes. “Ms. Greene, don’t tell me that you stole a starchart from a military contractor.”

“You asked.”

“Good God. Are you out of your mind?”

“Look.” Alyssa takes the chart out of her bag and waves it in front of Emma’s face. “This? This shouldn’t belong to them. At the end of this map should be artifacts that history hasn’t seen in eras. The money is just a nice bonus. Those contractors are only looking for the payday, and the  _ plan _ is for the public to never see most, if any, of those artifacts. If I find it first, they can’t do that.”

“So you’re basically… just… what? Daring people with guns who want to kill you and hoping that it works out?”

Alyssa pauses. “I didn’t really think it through.”

Emma snorts. “I’m getting that picture.”

“You agreed to a job with no information. I don’t think you have much room to talk, Captain.”

“I’m a transporter. Privacy isn’t an uncommon request.” Emma leans forward. “You’re the first person who’s gotten me shot, though.”

Alyssa gives a thin smile. “It was shrapnel.”

“Like it matters.” Emma stands and takes a few steps away, setting her hands on her hips again. “You’re going to be a  _ real _ pain in my ass. I can tell.” She glances over her shoulder to look at Alyssa. “Those men. The suits. They were from this contracting company?”

“I would assume so.”

“Why are these artifacts so important that they want you to die over it?”

“I don’t really know. I’ve been too busy running from them to ask.”

“Hilarious.” Emma rubs at her mouth and sighs. “Alright.”

Alyssa raises an eyebrow. “Alright?”

“I’m insane, but I’ll take you where you want to go.”

She looks genuinely stunned. “...Why?”

Emma gives her a crooked grin. “Maybe I just like a good treasure hunt with a pretty girl.”

Alyssa laughs and shakes her head. “You’re a flirt, aren’t you?”

“It’s the only defense I have against lunatics who try to get me murdered.”

“Is this what this whole trip is going to be like?”

Emma sits back down and drinks more as she picks up her cards. “Yep.”


	3. Part Three

As they approach the waypoint, Emma flips open a panel on her armrest and turns a small dial.

“What is that?” Alyssa asks from the co-pilot’s seat.

“There’s a special paint on this ship. It can be set to change to any one of six different colors. If any of your friends are here, I don’t want them to look for a blue starship and find a blue starship.” Emma closes the panel again, and Alyssa hears it click into place.

She frowns. “Why does a regular transport ship have that?”

Emma reaches up and pulls down her shoulder straps, connecting them to her seatbelt. “We’re heading in for a landing. I’d buckle up if I were you. These can be rough.”

It’s not an answer and Alyssa knows it, but she does her belt fully as they head into the artificial atmosphere.

“Shit,” Emma mutters, getting a better look at the waypoint once they’re closer. “I should’ve known.”

Alyssa squints out the starshield and sees three large ships on the far side of the space station. “What is that?”

“Inspection. Hundred gold says those contractors talked some buddies in the galactic police into doing inspections on all the waypoints around Eire.” Emma hits a button on her control panel, bringing up a small map. “We’re way too close to turn around. It’ll look suspicious.”

“So what do we do?”

“They’ll board us. The good news is that we don’t look specifically like the starship they’re seeking, so they won’t be as on-guard. But if they have a picture of you, or if they’ve been told to look for old starcharts, and they find either, we’re fucked.”

Alyssa grits her teeth. “So what do we  _ do, _ Captain?”

Emma unbuckles herself and puts on a small headset that she grabs off of a hook near her seat, climbing out of the cockpit and heading towards the back of the ship. “Come with me.”

“You just said it wasn’t safe to-”

“Plans are changing, Ms. Greene.”

With a frustrated sigh, Alyssa unbuckles herself and follows.

* * *

Emma leads her through the back room, picking the starchart up from the table as she goes. “Don’t leave this out.” She tosses it casually over her shoulder, and Alyssa scrambles to catch it.

_ “Are you insane?” _

“No, but keep track of your own shit, Ms. Greene. Especially when it’s what’s got people after you.”

Alyssa picks up the chart’s storage tube and carefully slides the starchat inside of it before following Emma further into the ship, to the loading bay at the very back. “I don’t think we can jump out of your ship and hope for the best to get out of this, Captain,” Alyssa says dryly.

“Oh, ye of little faith.” Emma goes to one of the walls of the loading bay, sets her hand against one of the seams where the metallic panels come together, and pulls the wall open like a door.

Alyssa almost drops the starchart.

“Go inside,” Emma says. “I’ll figure out a story if they have my name, but this way you and that chart will be completely out of sight.”

“This…” Alyssa steps into the small room and looks around, stunned, before turning and staring at Emma. “This is a smuggling ship.”

“I am an honorable woman, Ms. Greene,” Emma says slowly.

“That’s not an answer.”

“No, I suppose it’s not.” Emma grins, then closes the door in Alyssa’s face.

* * *

Emma heads back towards the cockpit, picking up Alyssa’s bag as she goes, stashing it in one of the floor compartments as the landing controller at the waypoint comes in through her headset.

_ “Approaching starship, this is Waypoint EI-87, please identify.” _

She swallows to steady her voice before replying. “Waypoint EI-87, this is JBT-04, requesting landing clearance on Dock B-3.”

There’s a slight pause before the response.  _ “JBT-04, you’re clear to land on Dock B-3. Please be aware that all incoming ships are subject to random search by galactic forces.” _

“Roger Waypoint EI-87, understood. JBT-04 coming in to land.”

Emma takes her headset off and hangs it up before jumping back into the pilot’s seat and directing her starship towards the B-3 landing pad. She can see the officers waiting for her even as she approaches, and a sense of dread settles over her as she settles her ship gently onto the space station.

_ “JBT-04, please open your loading door for boarding by galactic forces.” _

She swallows and does as she’s told, leaving her ship in an idle setting before getting up and heading back to the loading bay.

* * *

“What’s the nature of your visit to Waypoint EI-87,” an officer asks, going through a list of generic questions as Emma stands in front of him and another officer searches her ship.

“I’m a transporter, mate. I’m catching a break while I carry some goods.”

The officer glances around the nearly empty loading bay. “Not a lot of goods, huh?”

Emma shrugs. “It’s a slow day.”

“The military told us to be on the lookout for a JBT designated starship painted blue and carrying a fugitive. Do you know anything about that?”

She pauses for a long while, frowning and biting her lip like she’s thinking long and hard about it. “No, I can’t say I do. One of my people picked up a girl on Eire and transported her to Waypoint EI-42, but I don’t recall anything about a fugitive.”

The officer writes down a quick note, looking excited, and nods. “Great. Thank you for your time, Captain.”

“Of course.”

He glances behind Emma at the other officer, finishing her search. “Anything?”

“Nope. Everything’s clean.” The other officer frowns. “What happened to the back of your head, Captain?”

Emma feels for the bandage on the back of her neck, her eyes widening. “Oh, uh, I was fixing a leak in one of the pipes and banged it all up. I got it bandaged before I left to head out here.”

“Oof. That sucks. I hope it feels better.”

She laughs and nods. “So do I.” Emma looks down at her watch, set to go off a specific amount of time after the officers got on her ship. “Oh, damn. I’m not going to have time to catch that break after all. I’ll be late for my next shipment if I don’t get going.”

“Sorry to have taken up all of your time, Captain,” the officer says.

“It’s fine. Happens to all of us eventually.” Emma shakes each of their hands and escorts them to the door. “Have a nice day, officers.”

As soon as they’re off the ship, she runs to the cockpit and starts it again, bringing the engines back to full power.

“Waypoint EI-87, this JBT-04, requesting takeoff clearance from Dock B-3.”

_ “JBT-04, this is Waypoint EI-87, takeoff clearance confirmed.” _

Emma takes off as fast as she can without looking suspicious, shooting her starship through the atmosphere and into space above the waypoint. She’s calculating a hyperspeed jump to the waypoint closest to the edge of the galaxy when her computer gives an alert of a ship heading in her direction.

She looks out of her starshield to see one of the massive ships lift up from the side of the space station, and, in that moment, she realizes that it isn’t a ship from the galactic police.

“Oh fuck,” she whispers.

She changes the search, directing the system to a waypoint far away from where they need to go, and she’s about to run back towards the loading bay when an explosion throws her off her feet.


	4. Part Four

“Oh, what the fuck,” Alyssa groans, looking around the small storage area as emergency lights flicker randomly.

The air feels stale, old, a scent she recognizes as oxygen filtered through an emergency generator instead of a natural power system.

It’s not a comforting sensation.

As conscious thought returns to her, she realizes a much more pressing concern: She’s floating.

Whatever that explosion was, there’s no more gravity on this ship.

“Oh God.” Alyssa grabs the starchart, floating near her feet, and tucks it under her shirt to keep it with her. She pulls herself along a storage rack to get to the door and carefully pushes it open.

It opens easily, but the sight of the loading bay is so eerie that she almost doesn’t leave.

The emergency lights inside the rest of the starship are constant but low and red, a dim glow that bathes the whole area in front of her in a disorienting monotone.

Alyssa uses structure, furniture, storage, anything she can reach to pull and push herself through the ship, awkward, uncomfortable angles that make her dizzy.

When she gets to the cockpit, the red glow almost makes her miss the blood.

Emma is floating upside-down, eyes closed, an injury to her temple.

Alyssa grabs her face, fingers pressing against her neck. “Captain,” she murmurs. “Captain, wake up. You have to wake up.”

There’s a pulse in Emma’s throat, erratic but there, and it satisfies Alyssa enough to keep her calm. She pulls Emma down, reorienting her and buckling her back into the pilot’s seat, and then turns her attention to the computers.

An alert on the screen in front of Emma shows that a ship is heading towards them, and Alyssa can only guess their intentions. Another screen shows multiple errors and damage reports.

A third shows a hyperspeed path ready to go with just the press of a single button.

Alyssa pulls herself into the co-pilot’s seat, securing the starchart in her lap.

“I don’t know if you’re too damaged to pull this off,” she says, glancing up at the starshield in front of her. “But it’s all I’ve got.”

She closes her eyes, braces herself, and puts the ship into hyperspeed.

* * *

Emma wakes to the sound of soft humming and a thudding pain in her head. “Fuck,” she mumbles. “Wha’ ‘appened?”

“Something blew up,” Alyssa’s voice says from her right.

Emma’s eyes snap open as the explosion rushes back to her in a haze, and she finds herself staring out through the starshield at the black and white blur of hyperspeed. “Oh, God, what did you do?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. The ship was going to get boarded. If that happened, we’d be killed.”

“We have a damn good chance of being killed when this ship gets ripped apart, too.” Emma groans softly and rubs at her head, sitting up more in her seat. “We need to find somewhere safe to repair this thing before we go anywhere. Where did you direct us to?”

“I just hit the route that was already up.”

Emma grimaces.

“What?”

“Well, they probably won’t be looking for us there, since it’s nowhere near where we need to go.”

Alyssa blinks. “Why not?”

“One of the ships at the waypoint started lifting towards us, and I realized it was a contractor ship. I changed our course to a destination nowhere near where we need to go in case they boarded and searched, so if they didn’t find you and the chart they wouldn’t even have a direction to head in.”

“That’s…” Alyssa pauses. “Pretty smart, Captain.”

“I have my moments, Ms. Greene.” Emma dials in a few commands. “The first thing we need to do is get out of hyperspeed before the ship gets any more damaged. Hopefully we’ll be close to somewhere we can do repairs.”

Alyssa is quiet as the ship drops out of hyperspeed at the next safe position. She watches Emma start to scan through the map, looking through nearby locations. “Captain Nolan?”

“Hm?”

“I’m… I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

Emma gives her small grin. “Well. You wanted the best you could get. I suppose I can’t be mad about that, now can I?”

Alyssa laughs softly. “No, I suppose not.” She reaches her hand over, gently touching the side of Emma’s head. “You need to get that checked. It looks bad, Captain.”

“I’ve had worse.”

“...Have you?”

“Breaking my arm when I was eleven sure  _ seemed _ worse, but I was also kind of a dramatic child.”

“I would never have guessed.”

Emma taps her fingers against her map. “There! Shit, we’re lucky. The odds of us being close to Feirm like this…” She takes the controls of the starship and begins moving carefully towards the planet indicated on the map.

“What’s on Feirm?” Alyssa asks curiously.

Emma grins. “My second home.”

* * *

The starship makes a rough landing on a dock at what looks like a corn farm, and the return of gravity settles heavily on Alyssa’s body.

“Ow.”

“Oh, don’t complain. I got thrown into the ceiling.”

Alyssa gently smacks at Emma’s arm. “I got tossed around, too, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Emma stands, wobbling a little from the combination of returned gravity and a head wound. “Okay. I need to sit back down.”

Alyssa tucks Emma’s arm over her shoulders and starts leading her towards the doors of the loading bay. “Maybe you should get off this ship first.”

“Fair, but-”

_ “Emma Elizabeth Nolan, what have you done to my ship?!” _ a voice just outside the door yells.

“Whoops,” Emma mumbles.

An older woman with graying hair climbs into the ship, her hands going to her hips. “Your grandfather built me this ship, and I…” She trails off the moment she sees Emma, dried blood on her forehead and leaning on Alyssa for support. “Oh my word.” She rushes forward, cupping Emma’s face in her hands. “Sweetheart, what happened?”

“Sudden loss of gravity,” Emma says through gritted teeth.

“Come inside, come inside, I’ll call Shelby and Kaylee and have them fix this mess you made while I tend to that head of yours.” The woman gives Emma’s cheek a soft, affectionate pat that makes Emma smile. “You’re lucky it’s as thick as your grandfather’s was.”

Emma blushes a bit. “Gran, must you?”

The woman’s hazel eyes snap to Alyssa. “I don’t believe we’ve met, dear.”

Suddenly feeling nervous, she stammers, “A-Alyssa Greene, ma’am.”

“I’m Betsy Nolan, Emma’s grandmother.” Betsy gives Emma a small, knowing smirk as she and Alyssa help Emma out of the ship. “It took an injury and the near-destruction of my ship for you to finally bring a girl home?”

Alyssa babbles something she knows is incoherent as Emma, exasperated, says, “Gran, it’s not like that!”

“Hm. Alright then. My mistake.” Betsy kisses Emma on the side of the head. “Come on. Let’s get you fixed up.”

* * *

  
Alyssa changes into clothes Betsy gave her, worn jeans and a white short-sleeve Henley. As she puts on a belt to help hold the jeans up, she joins Emma in the living room of the farmhouse.

“How are you feeling, Captain?”

“Better. Head’s still a bit sore, but it’s patched up.” Emma points are the bandage on her temple. “I don’t think this is necessary, but I’ve learned not to argue with my grandmother.”

Alyssa laughs and sits in a chair as Emma goes back to studying the starchart, laid out on a table in front of her. “I got that impression, yeah.”

“I’m not a smuggler, Ms. Greene,” Emma says quietly.

“Your ship would suggest otherwise,” Alyssa replies calmly.

“My grandparents had to do a lot of things to survive during the war,” Emma murmurs. “Sometimes those things weren’t very legal. It’s just how it was. I built my business because my grandparents made it possible, and I use their ship to honor that.”

Alyssa is quiet for a long moment. “That’s actually really sweet, Captain.”

“Don’t let it fool you.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” She leans back in her chair. “How  _ is _ the ship?”

“Not as bad as it seemed, remarkably. It’ll take two days to finish the repairs, but it could’ve been a lot worse. We can get what we might need from here, plan in a bit more detail, and then we can head right for the outer edge of the galaxy.”

“Do you think the delay will be a problem?”

Emma sighs. “I really don’t know, Ms. Greene. I hope not.” She stands, rolling up the starchart. “This is the only copy of this, right?”

“I would imagine so. That’s why they’re hunting me down.”

“Hm.” Emma paces, idly tapping the chart against the palm of her hand. “Good.” She walks over to the fireplace, and, without another word, throws the starchart into the flames.


	5. Part Five

_ “What the fuck are you doing?” _

Emma grabs Alyssa around the waist as she tries to dive towards the fire, holding her close and gripping one of her wrists to keep her contained. Alyssa uses her free hand to grasp Emma’s shirt, trying to push her away.

“Stop,” Emma says calmly. “It’s already gone.”

“Why?” Alyssa demands, her voice cracking as she stares at the last few remnants turning to ash.

“That’s all they could’ve used. Understand? They  _ needed _ that map. If they came here and found it, it would’ve been over. All of this would’ve been for nothing. Even if they kill us, they can’t find what they don’t deserve.”

Alyssa glares at her. “We can’t find it, either.”

“What kind of idiot do you take me for? I told you that I’ve been taught about starcharts since I was a child. Do you think my smuggler grandparents could always keep the maps they read?”

After a pause, Alyssa whispers, “It’s in your head.”

“It has been since the first time you showed it to me.”

“...Why didn’t you tell me?”

Emma shrugs and softly says, “You don’t trust me, Ms. Greene. I can understand it. But I sure wasn’t going to earn your trust by telling you that I memorized your map the day we met.”

Alyssa scoffs. “And destroying the only physical copy  _ will _ make me trust you?”

“Maybe not. But for now, you’ll have to. I’m officially the only way you get where you need to go.”

Alyssa hesitates, her brain slowly becoming aware of how close they are to each other. “You’re a clever bastard, aren’t you?”

“It’s been mentioned a time or two, yeah.”

“You’d better not get yourself killed, then, Captain.”

Emma grins. “I don’t plan on it.”

Alyssa stares at Emma’s eyes, hazel just like her grandmother’s, sharp and determined and far too intelligent for either of their good. She swallows and glances down at how close their bodies are pressed together. “Could you please let me go now?” she whispers.

“Promise you won’t shove your hand into a fire?”

“I can promise that. I can’t promise that I won’t slap you.”

“I have a head injury, Ms. Greene.”

Alyssa sighs. “I know. It’s the only reason I might not.”

Emma leans forward, her lips almost brushing Alyssa’s ear as she talks. “I’m sorry it has to be like this, Ms. Greene. I hope you can understand.”

Alyssa shudders and closes her eyes. Before she can figure out how to respond, she feels Emma let her go and step back, and by the time she opens her eyes, the captain is gone.

* * *

  
Emma stands on the back deck of her grandmother’s house, breathing in the fresh air.

“Honey, can you come help me with this?”

She turns her head to see her grandmother dragging the grill across the patio, one of the wheels broken. “Gran!” Emma runs over to her and lifts the stuck side up so the grill can slide easily. “Be careful.”

“I’m not  _ that _ old.”

“And I’m not dumb enough to respond to that,” Emma jokes, earning herself a gentle swat. Once they put the grill in its place, she crouches down and checks on the broken wheel. “I should have Shelby fix this while she’s here working on my ship.”

“Nonsense. It’s no trouble.”

Emma gives her a look.

“...Well, I suppose it couldn’t hurt.”

“I’m sorry to put you out like this,” Emma says, resting her hands on her hips. “We’ll be out of your hair soon.”

“You have never once in your life been a bother.” Betsy sets her hand on Emma’s cheek. “Sweetheart. Are you in danger?”

Emma pauses. “Yeah, Gran, I am. I can’t tell you why.”

“That’s alright. Just tell me something. Can I trust this girl to have your back?”

She immediately thinks of Alyssa forcing her to sit still so the shrapnel wound on the back of her head can be attended to quickly. “I think so.”

“That’s not a ‘yes’, Emma.”

“I can’t give you a definitive yes,” Emma says with a soft sigh. “I barely know her, Gran. My gut says I can trust her. Is that enough?”

“Hm.” Betsy opens the grill and powers it up. “Your grandfather always trusted his gut. It never led him wrong.”

“That’s not a ‘yes’,” Emma says, a note of teasing in her voice.

Betsy squints at her. “I suppose not. But you know what it means.”

“I do.”

“Then go, get out of here, let me work in peace you little hoodlum.”

“Wow. The only honest person in this whole family, and I get called a hoodlum by my own grandmother. I see how it is.”

Betsy laughs and pushes her towards the door. “It is how it is. Go on now. Get!”

Emma echoes her laugh and walks back into the farmhouse, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Alyssa’s first night in the Nolan house is restless.

She hasn’t slept on solid ground in almost a year, and the quiet of the gentle farmland does little to help her brain settle.

With too much room to roam, her thoughts become dangerous, dancing far too close to the feeling of Captain Nolan pressed against her.

She rubs her hands over her face, trying to regain some of her sense.

She’s not convinced she’ll find it any time soon.

* * *

“Good morning,” Emma says, leaning in the doorway of Alyssa’s room.

“Is it? I didn’t notice,” Alyssa mutters, still rubbing exhaustion out of her eyes.

“Didn’t sleep well?” Emma asks, sympathy heavy in her voice.

“...No. Not really.”

“My first few years in transport, it was really difficult to sleep on land. You get used to the sound of the engines. When you don’t hear them, your subconscious is telling you something’s wrong, even if consciously you know there aren’t any engines to hear.” Emma shrugs. “Eventually, you just sort of settle into an understanding of where you are.”

“How long is eventually?”

Emma gives her a thin smile. “Eventually.”

Alyssa groans. “Great.”

“If it’s any consolation, you look great in my clothes.”

“Your…” Alyssa glances down at her outfit, a cream-colored Henley, then looks up at the red Henley that Emma’s wearing under her jacket. “O-Oh.”

“Just saying.” Emma grins and winks. “Anyway, Gran’s making breakfast, but I was going to take a walk to get some air before we eat. Any interest in joining me?”

“Uhm. Sure.”

“Great. Try to keep up, Ms. Greene.” With a small smirk, Emma turns and walks away.

* * *

  
“How’s the ship?” Alyssa asks as she walks next to Emma in the fields behind the farmhouse.

“Great. Fast work. They need tomorrow to finish it, and then we should be able to get out of here.”

“Good.” Alyssa pauses. “How’s, uh, how’s your head?”

“That should be good as new by the time we leave, too.” Emma grins. “I won’t even lose any of my good looks.”

Alyssa snorts and shakes her head. “You really are insufferable.”

Emma turns to face her, stopping near a tree. “That’s too bad, Ms. Greene, because you have quite a ways to go before you can get rid of me.”

“I can’t wait,” Alyssa retorts. “As soon as we get to the end of that starchart, Captain, I won’t need your assistance.”

“Yeah? You going to teleport yourself home?”

“Maybe I’ll just steal your ship and leave you there.”

“I’d love to see you try. My life was a hell of a lot simpler before you walked into it, Ms. Greene. Maybe I’ll just fly off and get myself some treasure without your  _ assistance.” _

“Good fucking luck, Captain. You’re such a disaster magnet that you’ll probably get hurt the moment you step foot on that planet.”

“At least I’m not a magnet for  _ military contractors _ who I  _ stole from.” _

“That is not my fault!”

“How could it possibly not be your fault?”

“I… You…  _ God, _ you are  _ infuriating!” _

Emma laughs sharply. “Is that the best you can-”

Alyssa grabs the lapels of Emma’s jacket and drags her forward, kissing her hard and fast on the mouth. She pushes them back, pinning Emma against the trunk of the tree as the kiss deepens, desperate and hot.

Alyssa releases Emma’s jacket and steps back suddenly, both of them panting. “Th-There,” she stammers. “That f-finally shut you u-up.”

Emma just stares at her, baffled.

Alyssa swallows, then turns and hurries back to the house.


	6. Part Six

Alyssa does her best to avoid Emma Nolan, and nearly succeeds until the night before they’re supposed to leave.

“Come with me.”

She doesn’t look up from the book she found on one of Betsy’s shelves. “Why?”

Emma sighs and runs a hand through her hair, a move that, annoyingly, catches Alyssa’s attention. “Because.”

Alyssa rolls her eyes and closes her book with a heavy  _ thump. _ “Fine. Whatever.”

* * *

She follows Emma out through the field, past The Tree Of Her Embarrassment, until they get to a small dirt paddock that doesn’t look like it’s been used in a while.

“My grandmother used to keep horses out here.” Emma climbs over the wooden fence and drops down into the dirt.

“Okay… What does that have to do with me?”

Emma leans on the fence, giving her an amused look. “Would you just work with me here, Ms. Greene?”

“Captain, I have better things to do that stand around in old paddocks.”

“Good, because we’re not. I want to see how well you shoot.”

“What?” Alyssa climbs over the fence and sees a series of targets set up on the far side of the circle.

“You were working with a contractor, so there’s a chance you know how to use this, but I’d like to know what I’m dealing with.” Emma takes her gun off of her belt and hands it over to Alyssa.

Alyssa swallows and stares down at it. “Uh…”

“...Uh?”

“Well, I… I mean I sort of… Captain, come on, I was a  _ historian.” _

Emma rubs at her eyes. “Okay. Well. You’re gonna be a dead historian.”

Alyssa shoves her shoulder. “The point was  _ speed _ so that I wouldn’t  _ need _ to know how to be in a gunfight! What are  _ you _ even doing in gunfights if you’re so law-abiding?”

“Because I transport valuables, and guess what people in the mood for money love? Valuables!” Emma presses the grip of the gun into Alyssa’s hand and moves behind her.

“What are you doing?” Alyssa asks, almost in a panic, as Emma puts her hands on Alyssa’s hips and tugs them closer together.

“Relax, Ms. Greene, I’m not getting handsy.” One of Emma’s hands shifts up to cover Alyssa’s, steadying it on the weapon. “Just breathe. Slow and easy. Steady your movement and focus on where you’re aiming.”

It’s easier said than done.

Especially with Emma’s breath brushing at the back of Alyssa’s neck.

“I can do it myself,” Alyssa grumbles, pushing against her.

“Alright,” Emma says, sounding almost amused.

Alyssa aims, grits her teeth, and fires.

She winces and glances at Emma, who has her hands on her hips and a neutral expression on her face. “How was that?”

“Fine. Just try aiming to, like, actually hit something.”

Alyssa gives a frustrated groan. “I’m not a soldier, Captain. I never wanted to be.”

Emma smirks. “So, what, you’re just going to quit after one shot?”

Alyssa glares at her. “You shouldn’t want me to learn how to shoot. I might end up shooting  _ you _ just to make you stop talking.”

“You can’t. I’m your map.” Emma leans forward a bit. “Besides, you seem to prefer other methods of making me not talk.”

Red hot embarrassment rushes through her, and she steps back. “That… Don’t talk about that.”

“Why not?”

“It didn’t happen.”

Emma raises an eyebrow. “It sure felt like it happened, Ms. Greene.”

“I-I… I don’t want to talk about it.” Alyssa hands the gun back to Emma and starts to walk past her.

Emma grabs her by the arm, holding her back. “You know,” she says softly, “you baffle me sometimes.”

Alyssa swallows. “Why’s that?”

“You’re afraid of something that has nothing to do with the people who are after you. I don’t think it has anything to do with me, either. You just wish it was as easy as that.” Emma lets Alyssa go and holsters her weapon, climbing back out of the paddock.

* * *

Emma leans on the counter, staring out the window in Betsy’s kitchen.

“You’re thinking.” Betsy pats her on the back of the head and leans next to her. “You always get in trouble when you think too much.”

“Gee, I wonder where I got that from.” Emma sighs and shakes her head. “This job, Gran… I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about it.”

“What kind of bad feeling?”

Emma absentmindedly brushes her thumb across her palm. “I’m worried that Ms. Greene isn’t telling me everything. Not that she’s hiding something dangerous, just… I don’t think she’s telling me the full truth of why this job matters so much to her, and it scares me that if something goes wrong, she might not be willing to cut her losses.”

Betsy is quiet for a moment. “You care about her.”

“She’s a client. It’s my job to care.”

“Don’t try to play that game with me, missy. I know you too well. You  _ care _ about this girl, and don’t even try to deny it.”

Emma shrugs. “I don’t know what I think.”

“I’ll take that. For now.” Betsy takes one of Emma’s hands and squeezes. “Sweetheart, if you don’t think she’ll bail out when the situation calls for it, that’s why she  _ needs _ someone like you. She’ll need someone to get her out even if her heart won’t let her make that call herself.”

“You want me to be her babysitter,” Emma says with a faint smirk.

Betsy snorts and nudges her with her shoulder. “I want you to help her. I want you both to get back here safe.”

“That might be easier said than done, Gran,” Emma whispers.

“I know.” Betsy kisses her on the side of the head. “But I also know you’ll do absolutely everything you can.”

Emma continues looking out the window as Betsy walks away. “That’s what worries me,” she murmurs.

* * *

Alyssa walks into the ship and looks around, amazed. “It looks brand new.”

“Yeah. We have good mechanics on Feirm.” Emma secures a pallet of supplies before picking a bag up and handing it to Alyssa. “This is for you.”

“What is it?”

“My grandmother wants to make sure you have plenty of clean clothes while we’re out here. I think she snuck cookies in there, too.”

“She’s a wonderful woman,” Alyssa says softly.

“Yeah. She really is.”

“What happened to you?”

Emma snorts. “Real nice, Ms. Greene. I’ll remember that.”

Alyssa gives her a strained smile. “I’m sure you will, since you have such a great memory.”

“I do. I really do.” Emma smirks. “I have a lot of talents, Ms. Greene. Play your cards right and maybe I’ll show you someday.”

Alyssa feels her cheeks heat up, but before she can respond, Emma turns and heads for the cockpit.

* * *

  
As Alyssa lies down to try to rest while their ship travels towards the next point on their journey, her mind refuses to stop wandering.

Wandering straight back to the feeling of her hands on Emma’s collar, the halting sensation of pinning Emma against a tree, the taste of Emma’s mouth on hers.

She rolls over onto her side, hot and uncomfortable, tense and frustrated.

She knows full well that she’s not going to sleep any time soon.


	7. Part Seven

As they approach the edge of the galaxy, Alyssa joins Emma in the cockpit.

“It’s been quiet,” she murmurs.

“Hm.” Emma scans her map, a troubled look on her face. “Too quiet.”

“Don’t say that. I hate when people say that.”

“I just… You’re sure that was the only copy of the map?”

“Yeah. I was in charge of it the whole time. Why would they want me dead otherwise?”

Emma drums her fingers against the arm of her seat. “That’s what I’m wondering. Why  _ do _ they want you dead?”

Alyssa frowns at her. “Because I have - well,  _ had _ \- the starchart. Have you been asleep this whole time?”

“Ms. Greene, if they wanted that map they wouldn’t have shot at my ship. One false move, one errant flame, and this whole thing would’ve exploded. Bam. No more starchart. No, they want you dead.”

“If that’s the case, why not just fire again when the ship  _ didn’t _ explode?”

Emma bites her lip. “That’s what I’m not seeing.” She rubs at her eyes and shakes her head. “I don’t know. I’m still thinking.”

Alyssa narrows her eyes, watching the exhaustion on Emma’s face. “Captain, when’s the last time you slept?”

“Uhm… What day is it?”

_ “Captain!” _

“I’ve just been waiting until we get right to the edge,” Emma says defensively. “I know I’ll need sleep before we get there, but if something goes wrong-”

“If something goes wrong, you’ll be half-dead from sleep deprivation and useless.”

“I’m not-”

Alyssa stands and grabs Emma’s collar, pulling her up out of the seat and in close to her. “Go to bed, Captain. For both our sakes. I can keep an eye out.”

Emma’s breath catches a bit, a sound that grounds Alyssa back in the moment, and she lets Emma go quickly. “Yeah.” Emma swallows. She switches on the autopilot to maintain their course. “Yeah, uhm, I’ll do that. Wake me when we get to the end of the trail, if I’m not back out here by then.”

Alyssa clears her throat. “Yeah, sure, will do.”

* * *

When she goes in to wake Emma, she makes a discovery that sends a shiver through her spine.

A sleepy, just-woken Emma Nolan is an  _ adorable _ Emma Nolan.

“Wassamttr?” Emma rolls onto her back with her eyes still closed.

“Captain. We’re at the end of our autopilot.” Alyssa gently sets her hand on Emma’s shoulder and nudges her. “It’s time to get up.”

“Mm. Five more minutes, baby,” Emma mumbles, in the groggy in-between of asleep and awake.

Every other time Alyssa has blushed this trip has nothing on the redness on her cheeks now. She clears her throat and shakes Emma more firmly.  _ “Captain!” _

Emma jolts out of sleep, rolling away from Alyssa and fumbling towards the wall before reaching back the other way for the gun sitting on her nightstand. “Huh? What?” She groans when she sees Alyssa and rubs at her eyes. “What’s happening?”

“You told me to wake you up, remember?”

“Oh yeah.” Emma frowns at her. “Why are you so flushed?”

“No reason,” Alyssa says quickly.

“...Whatever.” With a heavy sigh, Emma sets her feet on the floor and runs a hand through her hair. “Fuck. I really did need to sleep.”

“You really need to put on pants.”

Emma glances down at her boxers and rolls her eyes. “You’re in my room, Ms. Greene. It’s not like I’m naked.”

“Yes, and I’m very grateful for that.”

Emma stands up, and Alyssa does everything she can to keep breathing when they get far too close for Emma to be in just a t-shirt and underwear. “My job is to get you where you need to be, Ms. Greene,” she says quietly. “That’s not an easy job to do when everything in me wants to drive you in the other direction.”

Alyssa stiffens. “If you’re trying to flirt, you’re doing a bad job of it.”

“I’m not. I’m being honest. We’re on the right track. But I don’t like the fact that I’m taking you directly towards a path that might be infested by people who want you dead.”

“Why does it matter to you so much? I’m willing to die to get to the end of that starchart. If you had reservations, you could’ve left the map alone and just told me-”

Emma kisses her, hard, gripping Alyssa’s arms and walking her backwards as the kiss deepens.

Alyssa whimpers quietly and starts to pull Emma in even further, but Emma lets her go, and she realizes that she’s been steered out of the room. “What…”

“I’m not unsure about this because of my own life, Ms. Greene. It’s yours I’m worried about.” Emma takes a step back into her room. “I need to change.”

Before Alyssa can respond, the door is shut in her face.

* * *

“Alright,” Emma says, redirecting their course as she takes the ship off autopilot. “We need to head in this direction for about five hours, and then there’s another change that will take at least a day. I think we can-”

“How do you do it?”

Emma turns her head, frowning as Alyssa just stares at her. “Huh?”

Alyssa’s jaw is tense, a whirl of frustration and confusion in her eyes. “You just… I’ve been driving myself insane with the thought of you, but you kiss me and it’s like you don’t even care.”

“I care.”

“It sure as fuck doesn’t seem like it. You’re right back into the mission.”

“That’s my job.” Emma sets the computer to keep a steady course and leans back, putting her boots up on the edge of the control panel. “If I let my heart go all swoony any time I kissed a pretty girl, I’d never get any work done.”

Alyssa scoffs. “Don’t play that hotshot shit with me. You’re too dedicated to proving that you’re an honorable woman to try to act like an outlaw now.”

“I mean, military contractors are trying to kill me, and I have a stolen map in my head, and I’m transporting a fugitive, so I feel pretty outlaw at the moment.”

“You’re unbelievable. You really do just turn it all off, don’t you?” Alyssa shakes her head and stands up.

“You don’t even  _ like _ me,” Emma says quietly, staring out the starshield. “You just think I’m hot. So why does it even matter?”

Alyssa opens her mouth as if she’s going to say something, then just turns and walks away.

* * *

Emma sits alone in the cockpit until it’s time for the change in direction. She sets it, then gets up and heads to the back of the ship.

She knocks on Alyssa’s door, her hands on her hips as she waits for an answer.

Alyssa glares at her when the door opens. “What do you want, Captain?”

“We’re on this track for a day.”

“...Okay. So?”

“Do you want to know why I shut you out immediately after we kiss?”

Alyssa leans against the doorframe. “I’d love to.”

“It’s the only thing that’s been preventing me from being a moron and asking you if you want to have sex before we probably die on this stupid mission.”

There’s a long pause in which Emma is pretty sure she broke Alyssa’s brain.

Then Alyssa grabs her by the collar of her jacket and drags her into the room.

“You drive me insane,” Alyssa grumbles, stumbling backwards towards her bed. “Half the time I don’t know whether I want to kiss you or punch you.”

“I’m still tempted to go to Aquai and leave your stubborn ass with your mother,” Emma growls, pulling off her jacket and tossing it in the vague direction of a desk chair.

“That would be hell for both of us.” Alyssa falls onto the bed, pulling Emma down on top of her by her belt.

“It might be worth the risk just to get rid of you.” Emma tugs Alyssa’s Henley over her head before trailing kisses down to her throat.

As Alyssa undoes Emma’s belt, she mutters, “This is going to be a disaster, isn’t it, Captain?”

Emma laughs as she pulls off her own Henley and the t-shirt underneath it in one motion. “Ms. Greene, at this point this might be the least disastrous disaster the two of us end up involved in.”


	8. Part Eight

Alyssa wakes in an empty bed.

It’s not that she’s specifically surprised, it’s starting to become clear to her that  _ feelings _ aren’t a part of whatever equation is happening here, but it is a little strange. They live on the same ship. Waking up in the same bed after (frankly amazing) sex shouldn’t be that big of a deal.

She gets up and is about to head for the shower when she sees something sitting on the desk next to a note. When she gets closer, she realizes that it’s a large knife in a sheath.

_ Ms. Greene- _

_ The closer we get to our destination, the more your lack of weapon concerns me. Since you had no interest in learning how to use a gun, I’m certainly not risking giving you one. This is a knife. Shouldn’t be too hard to manage. _

_ -Captain Nolan _

Alyssa rolls her eyes and grabs her towel.

She’ll deal with that later.

* * *

“I don’t need a weapon.”

“You really do.”

“I really don’t.”

“Ms. Greene, your pursuers are not the only concern out here. The outer-galactic region is known to be full of pirates, thieves, scavengers. You need a way to protect yourself.”

Alyssa puts her hands on her hips. “If you think you can boss me around just because we slept together, I’ll knock you out cold.”

Emma mirrors her, glaring. “I wouldn’t bother to think that. I can boss you around because I’m the  _ captain _ and this is  _ my ship.” _

“Oh, don’t play that card with me. You’re so full of shit.”

Emma waves her hand dismissively and turns to walk away.

“I had a nice time last night.”

Emma stops in her tracks.

Alyssa takes a step closer to her. “Shame we couldn’t repeat the performance this morning.”

“I had things to do.”

“Right, of course, important captainy things.” She skims her fingers up Emma’s back. “The scars. Where are they from?”

Emma turns back to face her, and Alyssa is struck by the fear in her eyes. “Don’t ask me that, Ms. Greene.”

“Why not?”

“Because,” Emma whispers. “If you ask me, I might tell you. And I’ve made enough mistakes on this job already.”

Alyssa sets her palm against Emma’s cheek. “Captain...”

Emma bows her head and gives a soft sigh, then pulls away from Alyssa and heads for the cockpit.

* * *

Emma sits in the pilot’s chair, her eyes closed as she mentally traces the starchart’s path in her head.

It’s further away than she expected the first time she saw it, but she knows they’ll get there.

She’s just not sure about what will happen when they do.

There’s something about all of this that unsettles her, something that doesn’t  _ fit, _ and every instinct she has is telling her that they should cut their losses and go home.

But she also knows that she’d never be able to turn down Alyssa Greene.

She had hoped it was just the lust talking. That getting the physical tension out of her system would make her sensible again.

She’s a smart woman. She knows now that she should’ve been smarter.

* * *

Alyssa sits down in the co-pilot’s seat. She enjoys the silence of Emma’s company for a few minutes, watching the lights of hyperspeed pass them, then, quietly, she says, “I’m afraid.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Emma turn her head slightly, but the captain says nothing, waiting for Alyssa to continue.

“I’m afraid that we might go through all this and find nothing. I’m afraid that we might find something that isn’t what we wanted. I’m afraid that I brought you into something that will only get you killed.” Alyssa rubs her hands together idly. “I was selfish and stupid. I knew people were after me, but I was so desperate to have that starchart read, understood, that I prioritized it over anything else. It scares me that you might do something to keep me alive and get yourself hurt in the process. You’re a transporter, Captain. It’s not your job to protect me.”

Emma is quiet for a moment, her fingers drumming on the arm of her chair. “Do you want to go back?” she asks quietly.

“What?”

“Do you want to turn around and give up on this?”

Alyssa swallows. “I-I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Please don’t ask me,” Alyssa whispers. “Or I’ll tell you.”

Emma raises an eyebrow at her. “I guess there’s a lot of secrets on this ship, huh, Ms. Greene?”

Alyssa leans over, brushing her fingers along Emma’s jaw and pulling her into a soft kiss. “I only hope they don’t sink us,” she murmurs against Emma’s lips.

Emma closes her eyes, staying in Alyssa’s touch. “The last time I cared about a job, Ms. Greene, I almost died,” she says quietly. “My clients  _ did _ die. I’d rather not repeat the past.”

“You won’t, Captain. And even if something does happen, it’s not on you.”

Emma gives her a small smile before pulling away and turning towards the controls again. “I’m the captain. It’s always on me.”

* * *

When they exit hyperspace right before the last redirection, Emma stands and stretches. She rubs the back of her neck as she looks down at the screen that’s beeping incessantly at her.

“Oh, shit,” she whispers. “Shit, shit, shit.  _ Ms. Greene!” _

Alyssa runs into the cockpit. “What’s wrong?”

_ “That’s _ wrong.” Emma points at the large ship on the map.

“But… But that’s not possible. They couldn’t have followed us.”

“Apparently they don’t agree with that.” The ship rocks violently, and Emma curses again. “Tractor beam. Goddammit. Hold on.” She pushes the engines to a higher setting and tries to weave out of the pull, but it doesn’t work.  _ “Fuck.” _

“Captain, what-”

“Ms. Greene, go in your room and stay there.”

“But-”

“Just  _ go!” _

Alyssa stares at her for a moment before kissing her on the cheek. “Don’t do something stupid, Captain,” she murmurs.

“I’m the smart one, remember?” Emma says with a grin. “Now get out of here.”

Alyssa runs out of the cockpit at the moment Emma’s starship bumps against the side of the military contractor ship.

Emma takes in a breath and opens the loading bay door before heading to the back, her gun in her hand.

She’s greeted almost immediately by three men in suits, similar to the ones who had confronted her on Eire.

“Captain Nolan?” the black suit at the front asks.

“Yes.”

“We’re here for Alyssa Greene and the starchart.”

Emma shrugs. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but the starchart was destroyed.”

The black suit’s hands tighten into fists. “Excuse me?”

“It only exists in my  _ impeccable _ memory. Collateral, you know, to make sure Ms. Greene didn’t leave me behind.”

“Captain, what are you doing?” Alyssa’s voice says quietly from behind her.

“I told you to stay in your room,” Emma says mildly.

“You know that I don’t listen to you.”

Emma shrugs. “Yeah, I know. Hopefully these fools do, though.” She lifts her gun and aims it at her own head.

_ “Emma!” _

She ignores Alyssa’s shout, focusing on the suits. “You let Ms. Greene take my ship and leave, and I’ll happily lead you to the end of the starchart. Who’s up for a deal?”


	9. Part Nine

Alyssa stands in the cockpit in a daze.

_I don’t make deals with criminals._

_Good thing I’m not one, then. Deal or nothing, douchebag. You let her go or you lose the starchart forever._

She paces, rubbing at her temples, trying to figure out what to do.

_Please, don’t do this._

_It’s how it has to be, Ms. Greene. Like I said. It’s always on the captain._

She leans on the control panel, taking in a sharp breath as the sight of Emma being escorted from the ship fills her mind again, but before it can overwhelm her, she spots a light blinking on one of the screens.

Hyperspeed, waiting to head in a new direction.

“You genius,” Alyssa whispers. “When I get you back, I’m going to kiss you right after I punch you.”

She sits down in the pilot’s seat and buckles in, then commands the starship to head into hyperspeed.

* * *

Emma stands next to a man in a white suit on the bridge of the contractor ship, her hands cuffed in front of her.

“What’s your name?” he asks.

“Captain Emma Nolan.”

“Nolan? Like the smuggler? Or the pirate?”

“Like the transporter,” Emma replies stiffly.

White Suit laughs. “Stubborn. I like you.”

“I don’t really care.”

He leans forward a bit, smirking. “I would watch your tone, _Captain._ We might not be able to kill you, but you can hurt like hell.” He gestures towards the map screen. “Tell us where to go. No lies. No tricks. Or I’ll turn right around and find Alyssa Greene, and then I’ll slit her throat in front of you.”

Emma’s jaw tightens. “If anything happens to her,” she says softly, “you get nothing from me.”

“Well then,” he says with a grin, “it’s in both our best interests for you to do what you have to do, now isn’t it?”

* * *

The end of the starchart is nothing that Alyssa would’ve imagined.

It’s… plain.

If she didn’t trust Emma’s directions, she’d assume she was at the wrong place.

For a moment she worries that Emma put her on a course in the wrong direction, but then she sees the large military contractor ship near the small rock that Emma’s starship has stopped in front of.

It doesn’t have a name, and if Alyssa saw it in passing, she would never have given it a second thought.

Now that she thinks about it further, maybe that’s the point.

She sees a smaller ship fly from the contractor ship to the surface, and she takes in a deep breath.

There’s no plan.

Truth be told, she never thought she’d get this far.

Now the only plan is to keep herself and Emma alive.

* * *

“This place is amazing,” Emma whispers, brushing her hand over a large stone structure. “Look at this architecture. Thirteenth Era. You can see where-”

One of the gray suits shoves her hard from behind. “Keep walking.”

“Alright, alright, jeez. I’m trying to at least appreciate this place for what it is.” She raises an eyebrow at White Suit. “You do realize that this is a historical site, right?”

“We found it. We get to decide what we do with it. And all we care about is the gold.”

“Why? There are easier ways for a big organization like you to steal profit.”

“Not when we’re being so closely observed by that bitch’s mother.”

Emma stops walking. “Ms. Greene’s mother?”

White Suit glares at her. “She’s been suspicious of us, and she’s been using her pull with the government to have us investigated. We need funding to get rid of her, and using historical finds is the only way to do it without drawing attention. _This_ find was the only one we knew we could do with her full approval, but then her fucking daughter tried to play hero.”

“Gee, maybe because she didn’t want you ignoring any historical significance and hoarding valuables for yourselves.”

“Is that what she told you?” White Suit laughs. “The stupid little girl signed your death warrant because she misses her father.”

Emma’s blood runs cold. “What?”

“Her father went on a mission to try to find this place years ago for ‘historical research’. He never came back. Greene actually thinks he made it here but got stranded.”

“And what do you think?”

White Suit scoffs. “I think he got killed by pirates before he even got close.” He sets his hand on Emma’s shoulder and squeezes until it hurts. “Hey, maybe a Nolan killed him. Wouldn’t that be poetic? One of you kills her father, and she as good as kills you.”

Emma pulls away from him, anger bubbling. “We’re a lot of things, but we aren’t murderers.”

“It’s good for you to believe that. It won’t matter much at the end.” White Suit pushes her forward a bit. “You first, _Captain._ There might be traps.” He smirks. “I wouldn’t want to trigger one myself.”

* * *

Alyssa is careful as she follows the path the contractors took, keeping low and glancing around corners before she turns them.

She’s careful, until she glances around a corner and accidentally makes direct eye contact with the black suit guarding the back of the group.

A gunshot explodes a chunk of the pillar right near her head as the black suit yells, _“GREENE!”_

She hears a scuffle and running, and when she chances a peek around the corner again she sees Emma taking off down the hallway away from her, heading towards a doorway. She hits a slightly off-color section of flooring and abruptly changes direction, running back in Alyssa’s direction as the floor starts to give out underneath her.

The suits choose their lives over catching either one of them.

The group scatters, running into branching paths or back the way they came. Most don’t even look at Alyssa as they pass her.

A man in a white suit is the only one who chases after Emma, and when the floor underneath him gives out, he grabs her by the heel.

Emma clutches at one of the still-standing doorways, trying to pull herself up as White Suit tries to drag her down with him.

“Captain!” Alyssa stands at the edge, the point where the floor stopped collapsing.

“Stay there, Ms. Greene,” Emma orders, her voice strained.

White Suit pulls a knife from his belt and slashes at Emma’s leg, and, on instinct, she brings her free boot down on his face. The suit’s grip slips, he snarls a muddled stream of curses, and he falls into the newly-formed pit.

With some effort, Emma pulls herself up into the doorway, and Alyssa notices for the first time in the chaos that she’s handcuffed.

“How did you do that?” Alyssa asks.

Emma leans against the wall, catching her breath. “Asshole said he was using me to find traps. I found a trap.” She lifts her head and gives Alyssa a long look. “For fuck’s sake, who gave you a gun?”

Alyssa laughs. “I brought this for you.” She rests her hand on the knife on her belt. “This is mine. Some idiot gave it to me.”

“Mm. Sounds like a pretty smart idiot.” Emma glances over her shoulder. “I’ll see where this leads. I don’t know what I’ll find. But I-I… between the cuffs and my leg and how far that jump is, there’s… there’s no way I can…” She takes in a slow breath, her voice small as she whispers, “I can’t get over to you.”

She swallows. “I know.”

“I knew this was going to be quite the adventure, but I think this is sort of beyond what I was expecting,” Emma jokes.

“Don’t joke,” Alyssa says. “Not right now. Joke with me when we’re back on the ship and I can argue with you properly.”

Emma sighs. “I don’t think I’m going to get back to the ship, Alyssa.”

It feels like something’s wrapping around her heart and squeezing. “Not with that attitude you aren’t,” Alyssa says, trying to keep her voice steady. “Get your ass up and start walking, Captain. I’ll look around the outside. There has to be another entrance to this place.”

Emma nods, looking tired, but she manages to pull herself to her feet anyway. “Ms. Greene?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“I know you don’t feel the same, but as annoying as it is, I think I fell in love with you.”

Before Alyssa can think of a response, Emma turns and disappears into the darkness of the path behind her.


	10. Part Ten

Alyssa runs.

Her breath ghosts in front of her as she runs around the surface of the tiny planet, looking for another way into the depths.

“Daddy,” she whispers. “Show me how to get to her.  _ Please.” _

She hits an uneven patch of ground and trips, sprawling on the rocks.

“Ow,” she mutters. Alyssa pushes herself up onto her knees, feeling a gash on her jaw. She turns her head as she makes sure she didn’t break anything, and with that motion, she sees it.

A small opening, hidden in the side of a hill.

Alyssa gives a quiet laugh and stands. “Thanks, Dad.”

* * *

Emma half-walks, half-limps down the dark passageway, her path only lit by a small flashlight she keeps in her jacket pocket.

She’s tired. She’s in pain. But she knows that she’d never forgive herself - however long ‘never’ even was at that point - if she didn’t even try.

She managed to slip one hand out of the handcuffs, but now her wrists are sore on top of everything else. She thinks she hears a noise and glances over her shoulder, the flashlight beam piercing through the darkness, but she sees nothing.

When Emma faces forward again, it’s too late for her feet to realize that the ground is suddenly slanted down.

With a loud  _ “fuck!” _ she loses the careful balance she’s putting on her injured leg, and she tumbles downward, losing her flashlight in the scramble to try to stop her fall.

Emma crashes into the ground at the bottom of the incline, hard, the wind knocking out of her. She lies in the dirt and rock, panting.

It momentarily concerns her that her vision is blurry, until she realizes that her glasses were knocked askew.

“Oh. Right.” She puts her glasses back on properly and sits up, cursing when her knee, thankfully the one on the leg that’s already hurt, sends a pang of pain through her body. “Fun.”

Emma checks the bleeding on her leg and curses again when she realizes it hasn’t stopped. She takes her jacket off and rips off one of the sleeves, tying it around the gash on her calf, then she rips off the other sleeve, straightens out her leg, and ties it around her knee for support.

She triple-checks the pockets of her jacket to make sure she isn’t forgetting supplies, then leaves the mangled piece on the ground as she struggles to her feet.

When she limps over to her flashlight and picks it up, she sees something reflecting some of the light back at her. She shines the light back down at the ground, and her breath catches in her throat.

“Oh, God.”

* * *

Alyssa follows a narrow path, nerves biting at her with every step. When she sees an opening ahead of her, she slows, unsure of what she might find.

It’s almost silent, the only sounds her bootsteps and her unsteady breath.

When she walks into the vault and stares at the piles of gold and lost artifacts that surround her, the third sound that joins in is her dropping her flashlight onto the ground.

She picks it up hastily and walks over to a large stone statue, an ancient god in battle.

“Thirteenth Era. Fuck. Daddy, you were right. It’s really here.”

_ “Ow, goddammit, shit, fuck, fuck.” _

Alyssa turns and watches as Emma pretty much falls out of a nearby passage, collapsing in a heap next to a collection of Twelfth Era swords.

“Captain.” She runs over to Emma and turns her over onto her back, her fingers gently brushing against her jaw. “Captain?”

“Fun,” Emma mumbles, stumbling to her feet before Alyssa can stop her. “Now I’m hallucinating. Awesome.”

Alyssa punches her in the shoulder, keeping her standing by holding her Henley at her other shoulder.

Emma barely reacts to it, but she blinks up at Alyssa as if realizing she’s really there. “Ms. Greene?”

Alyssa grabs her face, pulls her forward, and kisses her, just as hard as the punch.

“I should kill you,” she whispers against Emma’s lips.

“Why?” Emma asks, honestly sounding confused.

“You can’t just tell a girl you love her and then vanish into the darkness to possibly die without ever seeing her again, you self-sacrificing ass.” Alyssa kisses her again before saying, “And how  _ dare _ you tell me that I don’t feel the same.”

“That you don’t… Hold on.” Emma takes a limp back. “Ms. Greene, what are you saying?”

Alyssa sighs. “I’m falling in love with you, too, Captain Idiot.”

Emma blinks. “Oh.”

_ “Oh?” _

“Not… Not ‘oh’ as in it’s bad, I’m just not sure I can process that information.”

Alyssa laughs and shakes her head.  _ “How _ I love you is something I’m not sure I’ve processed yet.”

“You’re not so perfect yourself, either, sweetheart,” Emma retorts dryly. She looks around the room and lets out a soft whistle. “You found it.”

Alyssa softens, turning to stand next to Emma and take her hand.  _ “We _ found it.”

After a long moment, Emma murmurs, “We aren’t the only ones.”

“What?”

“I found this.” Emma hands Alyssa a tattered wallet, and without even opening it, she knows exactly what it is.

The pictures inside, of her parents’ wedding, of Alyssa at six years old playing on a tire swing, of Alyssa and her father side by side asleep on top of books they were reading, are images she has seared into her memory, but ones she never thought she’d see in person again.

Her voice choked, Alyssa whispers, “This is…”

“Your father’s wallet,” Emma finishes for her. She takes Alyssa’s hand. “White Suit told me why you were really doing this, Alyssa. And I understand. I understand.”

“Where did you find it? Was this all that was there? Maybe there’s something else that could-” She starts towards the path Emma came from, but Emma grabs her arm and holds her back.

Softly, so gently that it breaks Alyssa’s heart, Emma says, “There’s nothing back there that you want to see, Alyssa.” She points at the wallet. “That’s all you need.”

Alyssa swallows, fighting back tears as she nods.

“He got here. You were right. He got here.”

“He never got  _ here. _ He never got to see that he was right.” Alyssa’s voice feels small, like she’s six years old all over again.

“You did.” Emma lifts Alyssa’s hand and presses a kiss to her knuckles. “He found the planet. You proved that he was right.”

Alyssa hugs her tightly, burying her face against Emma’s neck. “I always knew,” she mumbles. “I knew that he couldn’t have survived out here for twenty years. But I just needed… I needed closure. I needed to prove it. Needed to know. I’m so sorry that I brought you all the way out here for that.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” Emma squeezes her, letting out a soft sigh. “Just let me keep one of these really cool swords.”

Alyssa laughs through her tears, and she kisses Emma again as she pulls back. “That’s the last thing you need. You went and got yourself hurt again.”

“This one really wasn’t my fault.”

“Yeah? What did you do to your knee?”

Emma pauses. “Shut up.” She puts her hands on her hips and looks around. “There’s no way that all of this is going to fit on my ship, Ms. Greene. And it’s not exactly an easy trip in and out. The only way some of this stuff would leave is if somebody started blowing holes in this little planet, and I don’t know if I’m comfortable with that.”

Alyssa puts the wallet in her pocket. “I have this.” She sets the palm of her hand against Emma’s cheek. “I have you.” She glances at the artifacts. “I think the rest of it can stay buried.”

“Agreed.” Emma pauses and rubs the back of her neck. “Though we could probably get out of here with like one sword and some gold.”

Alyssa laughs and shakes her head.

“What? I still haven’t been  _ paid!” _

* * *

Emma sits in her ship, eating a sandwich as Alyssa wraps a bandage and a quick splint around her injured leg. “My parents.”

Alyssa glances up at her, brow furrowed. “What?”

“You asked me where the scars on my back came from, and I wouldn’t answer, because I was afraid of what would happen if I let myself get close to you.” Emma swallows and leans back in her seat. “They’re because of my parents.”

Alyssa says nothing.

“They were pirates. Not smugglers like my grandparents. My parents would ambush ships and rob them. I had always been forced to fly them away from their gigs even though I was only twelve. Built character or some shit. One day they got greedy and stole from another pirate, one with much more skills and power than they had, and he came for them. I tried to outmaneuver, but I failed, and our ship got boarded. The pirate grabbed me and told my parents that they could tell him where his money was or they could watch me be whipped until they did. They picked the latter.”

“Oh my God,” Alyssa whispers.

Emma turns her head, looking away. “Eventually, the pirate just… gave up. He killed them both and dropped our ship off at the nearest planet. He said it was as a warning, but I wouldn’t have been able to fly myself anywhere by myself, not like that. I think he had more sympathy for me than my own parents did.”

Alyssa moves and sits next to her, kissing her softly on the forehead. “Emma, you were a child. It wasn’t your fault.”

“If I had flown better-”

“Your parents caused what happened. To themselves, and to you. It’s not your fault.”

Emma is quiet for a long moment. “I was terrified that I was going to get you killed. That I was making a mistake by allowing you to keep going forward with this mission. I didn’t want to let myself get close to you, get feelings for you, because I knew that if I had to make a tough choice to get us out of that mess, I wouldn’t be able to if I loved you.” She gives a strained smile. “It didn’t really work out like that.”

“I’m glad that it didn’t.” Alyssa rests her forehead against Emma’s. “I’d probably still have fallen in love with you, and then I’d just be pissed off at your big stubborn head.”

“That’s fair.” Emma swings her leg down to the floor and carefully gets up. She holds out her hand to take Alyssa’s as she stands as well. “Where to from here?”

“Aquai. From what you’ve told me, I need to have a meeting with my mother. Maybe they’ll stop trying to kill us if they’re shut down.”

Emma snorts. “Something tells me that will only make them want to kill us  _ more.” _ She picks up the Twelfth Era sword from the table and sets it on her shoulder as she limps towards the cockpit.

“Probably, but we have a plan for that now, don’t we, Captain?” Alyssa asks with a teasing grin.

“We sure do, Ms. Greene.” Emma turns back to face her, mirroring her grin. “Run like hell and hope for the best.”


	11. Epilogue

“Do you want to pick a color?”

“Yeah!”

“Okay. What color?”

“Green!”

“Green, alright. And what’s this ship called when it’s green?”

“Uhm…” Emma smiles as the little boy standing next to her closes his eyes real tight as he thinks. “JBT-04!”

“No, that’s for red. Green is-”

“I wanna get it!”

Emma gives a patient nod. “Okay then. Come on, Lieutenant, whatcha got?”

“Uh… JBT… JBT-01?”

“That’s right!” She ruffles his dark blond hair. “It’s the first color option, and JBT-00 is the default, which is…”

“Blue!”

“Nice!” Emma gives him a high-five. “Are you angling for my job, Lieutenant?”

He giggles. “Yeah, Cap’n.”

“You’re smarter than me, so it probably won’t take long.” She pulls him in and kisses him on the top of the head.

The boy laughs and squirms to get out of her grip. “Mom, stop!”

“Nah,” Emma says casually.

_ “Liam Thomas Nolan!” _

“Uh oh,” Emma and Liam say simultaneously.

Alyssa hops into the cockpit, holding the old Twelfth Era sword Emma once found.

“Ouch, honey, he’s only five, the sword might be a little much.”

Alyssa squints at Emma, ignoring the joke. “Please ask  _ your son _ why I found  _ your sword _ in his room.”

Emma winces and looks at Liam, who’s staring at his feet. “Liam, that’s not a toy.”

“Yeah, but I wanna be like you and Mama someday, and Mama’s knife is cool.”

Emma barely holds back her laugh as Alyssa goes a bit red and fidgets with her belt and the sheath attached to it. “I get that, bud, but you have to be careful. You have to wait for that kind of stuff, and not unless we’re around to keep you safe. Got it?”

He gives a small nod. “Got it, Mom.”

“I promise you’ll do the big things someday. You’re my Lieutenant, right?”

Liam perks up at that, and he gives an enthusiastic nod. “Right, Cap’n!”

“Good boy.” Emma kisses him on the head again, and this time he lets her. “Go get your bag. We’re almost at Feirm.”

“Can Reuben come too?”

“Your stuffed animal? Yeah, buddy, of course he can.”

Liam races out of the cockpit, Alyssa leaning out of the way.

She sighs and sets the sword down on the co-pilot’s seat before resting her hands on Emma’s shoulders. “That boy.”

Emma tilts her head back, resting it against Alyssa’s stomach and looking up at her. “Hey. You had him.”

“Oh, don’t give me that nonsense, Em. I might’ve given birth to him, but he’s zero percent my DNA. That’s all  _ your _ fault.”

“Hey, that was your call.”

“I know. You’re still annoying.”

Emma grins. “I know, Lys.”

* * *

The starship docks at Betsy Nolan’s farm, and Liam is the first one out the door, clutching his stuffed dog and leaving his bag for one of his mothers to carry.

_ “Gramma!” _ He practically tackles Betsy in a hug, nearly knocking her over if she didn’t catch her balance on the fence.

“Oh my goodness, who is this?”

Liam giggles. “Gramma, it’s me! Liam Nolan!”

Betsy puts her hands on her hips. “Why, you  _ can’t _ be Liam Nolan! You’re too big!”

“I got bigger!”

“You sure did!” Betsy hugs him again as Emma and Alyssa walk up to her. “Hi, kids. I was just telling my lovely grandson how I haven’t seen him in a while.”

Emma gives her an embarrassed look. “Sorry, Gran. We were doing some transports on the other side of the galaxy. The poor ship can only go so fast.”

“What are you saying about my ship?”

“She’s old and reliable, but not very nimble.”

Betsy snorts out a laugh. “Maybe that’s just how you fly her.”

Emma pouts as Betsy turns to give Alyssa a hug. “Hi, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Oh, she gets ‘how are you’ and I get critiques on my ship-handling.”

“Yep,” Betsy says cheerfully.

Alyssa smiles and sets her hands on Liam’s shoulders. “I’m well, Gran, thank you. And thank you for taking Liam for a few weeks.”

“Not a problem at all. I know you don’t like taking him outside the galaxy. Can you have dinner before you head out?”

Emma shakes her head. “We should get going. Faster we leave the faster we get back.” She brushes a gentle hand through Liam’s hair. “I don’t like being gone long.”

Betsy gives her a soft smile. “I know.” She gives Emma a tight hug. “I’m proud of you, sweetheart,” she whispers.

“Thanks, Gran,” Emma murmurs.

Alyssa crouches down in front of Liam and cups his face in her hands.

He frowns. “Where ya goin’, Mama?”

“Your mom and I have a serious mission to go on.”

“Why can’t I come?”

“Kids aren’t allowed outside the galaxy. But it’s okay. When we come back, we’ll take you somewhere cool. I promise.”

Liam’s eyes light up. “Really?”

“Absolutely.” Alyssa kisses him on the forehead. “I love you.”

“Love you too, Mama.”

As Alyssa lets him go, Emma sets a hand on his head. “You’re going to behave for Gramma?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Because you’re my Lieutenant, right? I need you and Reuben to keep an eye on her.”

Liam gets as close to attention as a five-year-old boy can, saluting with one hand with his toy tucked in the other. “Yes, Cap’n.”

“Good boy.” Emma hands him his bag and ruffles his hair. “I love you.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“We’ll see you soon, Gran,” Emma says, not looking away from Liam as she talks to her grandmother.

“We’ll be fine here. Go have fun. Be careful.”

“We will,” Alyssa reassures as she takes Emma’s hand and pulls her towards the ship.

* * *

“You okay, Captain?” Alyssa asks softly as she and Emma sit quietly in the cockpit.

“Yeah,” Emma murmurs. “It just gets harder and harder to leave him.”

“I know. I feel the same.” Alyssa looks down at the starchart in her lap, a Fifth Era one they found by chance. “We’ve collected a lot of gold over the years. We could retire.”

“We’d get bored.”

“True.” Alyssa reaches over and links her fingers with Emma. “We could become smugglers?” she jokes.

Emma laughs. “I’m an honorable woman, Mrs. Nolan.”

“My mom’s been looking for people to volunteer to take supplies to impoverished planets. We could do that on top of the regular transport jobs. It’d be safe enough to bring Liam along, and maybe he’d learn something.”

“I’d like that,” Emma whispers. She grins at Alyssa and points at the starchart. “One more treasure hunt?”

Alyssa grins. “For old time’s sake?”

Emma nods and gives Alyssa’s hand a quick squeeze before putting the starship into hyperspeed.


End file.
